Photographer Sean Maslin recently attended the NPSL Semi Final between Tulsa Athletic and FC Baltimore Christos, where he was contracted by the league to shoot the match. With the league’s permission, Sean graciously shared his perspective with us - figuratively and literally.

What is your name, do you have a business name, and is this your primary job?
My name is Sean Maslin. I have been a soccer, writer, photographer, editor, soccer-beer pairer for about 10 years and am currently co-editing a new soccer publication-Honeyball Soccer. I don't have a business name (sadly Vandelay Industries was taken) but if anyone has a good one please send it along! In addition to my independent journalism background. As for my day job, I am currently the Marketing and Communications Director of Bethesda Soccer Club, a youth soccer club based out of Montgomery County, Maryland.

In addition to attending the NPSL Semifinals, what other organizations or leagues have you taken shots for? What match was your favorite?
I have taken photos a number of different leagues and organizations, which is great (small piece of advice to all aspiring photographers: go to as many games as possible to sharpen your skills). In terms of leagues/competitions as a photographer: NWSL, USL, USL League Two, US Open Cup, United States Men's National Team, NISA, NISA Independent Cup, Maryland Major Soccer League, NCAA Men's Division 1, MLS Next, ECNL, Jefferson Cup, Maryland State Cup, and Super Y League. As a writer I have attended all of the aforementioned leagues plus MLS, Copa America, USWNT, Gold Cup, World Cup Qualifying, and a few friendlies (I have seen Ghana/Canada and Turkey/Honduras-both at RFK which were both wild for different reasons).

In terms of places where my photography work has been seen: NPSL Soccer, Honeyball Soccer, The Brotherly Game, Prost Soccer, Potomac Soccer Wire, Jefferson Cup, and the always bopping Bethesda SC social media accounts.

Probably my favorite match that I have ever shot as a photographer was a Washington Spirit match against the Houston Dash in 2019. It was within a week or two after the World Cup and so the Maryland SoccerPlex was PACKED. It is about a 5k seat stadium but they also had people sitting behind one of the goals on the lawn, on the concourse, outside of the stadium, everywhere. The crowd was electric-usually on ground level you can always hear the supporters groups but very often the fans who come in for just a game are a little bit quieter. Not this game-there was an energy to the crowd that you can only get when everyone is engaged. They were really hanging on every pass by the Spirit and were ready to erupt had Mallory Pugh made her penalty kick in injury time (The Dash keeper stopped it). I have been to better matches in terms of play on the field, but as a photographer, you can tell how much players feed off of that crowd noise and in that game the play matched the crowd making for an excellent night of shooting (and as a fan a really fun match).

What is the most challenging part of taking soccer photos? What's the most rewarding?
The most challenging part is understanding that not every shot that you take is going to be great. Very often in a sequence of photos you will get 5-6 shots out of ten that are rough, maybe 1-2 that are good, and then another 1-2 that are great. So being able to look through your work and not think everything is bad just because a bunch of shots didn't turn out is a hurdle to overcome. In terms of technical work, the lighting at stadiums can be a challenge (particularly at high school fields) and referees getting in the way :)

I think what has been most rewarding is seeing the players respond to my work after games. Usually after each game I will receive 10-20 DMs/emails from players asking for links to my photos so that they can share them on their social media pages. A lot of these men and women are trying to build a career in soccer themselves and it seems like they want to continue to show their work to prospective clubs/colleges. My feeling is that so many games in this country go unnoticed or with minimal coverage of any sort which it makes it harder for them to continue to grow within the game. So it is nice to feel like you are helping them in a small way to pursue their club and/or college ambitions.

If you could shoot any single event, where are you going?
Long ago, I put down as my personal goal to cover a World Cup in person, either as a writer or a photographer. To me, that is still my main goal in this endeavor. To have the chance to go to a World Cup and cover not just the games, but also the backstory of the country(ies) and their culture, would be an incredible experience.

If folks want to get in touch, where do they reach you?
You can find me on Twitter at @SeanMaslin, on Instagram @sean.maslin, and on Flickr . If there is a game in the Washington D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area (I do Pennsylvania and West Virginia too) that you would like for me to cover email me at semaslin05@gmail.com